help using stainless steel pots/pans

[marchmommy]

I boxed away all my nonstick pans and pots after reading about Teflon, but boy, my new stainless steel/aluminum pans are very difficult to use. (I also have an original 1950s stove-top which might be contributing to the problem.) Things burn very easily, and my pans have a black residue on them, they've turned black in spots, which won't come out. A friend of mine said she uses Pam to cook with, as opposed to olive oil--but I have a Pam-like spray and it says one of the ingredients is "propellant" which can't be good for you. The whole idea was to move away from Teflon in the interest of health! Is Pam different? Any all-natural options? Why would Pam be better to use than olive oil? Any advice on cleaning the pans? This same friend (who is away now) mentioned she cleaned them with lemon juice--any one try this? Your advice is appreciated b/c this is very frustrating! TIA!

[m448]

I just cook with olive oil. The trick to getting a good almost non-stick surface is to heat the pan first then add the oil right before you toss in the food. Now you'll never replicate a teflon-like surface but that's a good thing - the stuff that gets stuck gets caramelized and makes for great deglazing either in your simmered foods or your sauces.

Now for cleaning I usually pull out the food and just dump a bit of water to sit in the pan while we eat dinner. If it's somethin that got stuck and didn't soak out I use Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami (gentle scrubbing powders) and I don't have to scrub at all.

[DebbieJ]

I have all SS pots and pans and use Barkeepers Friend to clean them. It is a powder that comes in a gold can with blue writing. I got it at WalMart.

I think using oil is easier, cleaner, and healthier than using a spray. The spray stuff gets all over and makes your pans sticky. I also use the Kitchen Spritzer from The Pampered Chef. It's just air and whatever oil you put in it.

Also, depending on the composition of your cookware, you should be using medium to low heat only. I have All Clad, which has an entire layer of alumninum between two layers of SS, so the heat conductivity is amazing. I am constantly turning the burners DOWN.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[cdlamis]

THANK YOU for asking about this! I could have written the same post. I put away my Teflon but hate all my new SS which now have blackened, burnt bottoms. I almost wanted to bring out my Teflon again.

I will use the great tips listed here. Thanks to all the PP's.

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
and Isabella 12-18-04

[ohiomom]

I was given a large set of Lifetime cookware as a college graduation gift. We recently ditched all our teflon pans and only use the Lifetime SS or cast iron.

Barkeepers friend or Bon Ami with just a few drops of water to make a paste gets everything off. Once you get them clean again, they'll be easy to keep nice by using it. If something really sticks terribly I'll put some water in the bottom of the pan and heat the water a few minute and then scrap with a wooden spoon -- things come off easily that way too.

Lastly, PPs are right on re: using low to medium heat for most everything. I never cook anything on high unless I'm just boiling a pot of water.

Nicole's Mom 7/03
Joshua ^|^ 5/05

[DebbieJ]

>I just cook with olive oil. The trick to getting a good
>almost non-stick surface is to heat the pan first then add the
>oil right before you toss in the food.

Great tip! I do this all the time and it never fails me. Tonight it was with onion, garlic, and green pepper. It sauteed nicely without burning or sticking (don't know how to put that little mark above the e, sorry!)

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[ethansmom]

I try to use my all-clad SS or my calphalon commercial hard-anodized for everything. I know the Calphalon specifically says NOT to use Pam; it can leave a film on the pan and cause worse sticking.

I've found the key is to make sure the pan is spotless after each cleaning. I started out using Barkeeper's friend, but prefer a Calphalon cleaner I picked up at BB&B. It gets out everything from both types of pans.

As other posters have said: heat the pan, then add the oil and cook on a lower heat setting.

[AmyZ]

Barkeepers is also my favorite! I found that once I started using my All-Clad as opposed to a cheaper brand, I was a much better cook!! I burned food much less. Also, if your flame is too hot, you can buy "diffusers" at places like Williams-Sonoma - basically a heavy black disk that you put over your burner to decrease the amount of heat hitting the pot.

Amy Z

"Ma!" to Eliana May 2/5/04

[Saccade]

>I just cook with olive oil. The trick to getting a good
>almost non-stick surface is to heat the pan first then add the
>oil right before you toss in the food. Now you'll never
>replicate a teflon-like surface but that's a good thing - the
>stuff that gets stuck gets caramelized and makes for great
>deglazing either in your simmered foods or your sauces.
>
>Now for cleaning I usually pull out the food and just dump a
>bit of water to sit in the pan while we eat dinner.

Well put!! I also agree with both these tips... Remember Martin Yan on his old
PBS show: "Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick"?. Nice thick SS (with aluminum core or not) deglazes really well. Then I also run water into it while it's still hot, and the residue cooks itself right off (also probably best to do this with thicker pans only, else you might get warping from the cold water on hot metal).

nak -- edited for typo

ETA: This doesn't answer your question, but for folks seeking a nearly nonstick surface without Teflon, there's always good old fashioned seasoned cast iron...

DS #1, 7/13/05
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Join us in the BBB Knit and Crochet Club:
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[kellyotn]

I don't have much to add, except to agree with getting them CLEAN before using them again and try turning down the heat. I have mostly Calphalon (all aluminum, not the non-stick) pans, I use Comet to get 'em clean if they need to be scoured. Hasn't hurt the finish a bit. DON'T put them in water when they are still hot. I always did that and realized when we got a smooth surface cooktop that our skillets were warped on the bottom. These were old-style Calphalon from when they were only available at "finer" stores, not the Target ones. (Not that I have any idea if the Target ones are of lesser quality, but I'm assuming they may be a bit thinner.)

My DH often insists on using PAM for certain things, and it definitely does leave a sticky film, often you can still see the actual spray pattern in the "stick" it leaves behind. It has to be removed with Coment and fine steel wool. It builds up quickly, so I make sure its removed each and every time he uses PAM.

I really don't have too much trouble with the aluminum. Its really pretty easy to clean once you get the heat and oil thing dialed in.

[ilovetivo]

I agree w/ all the PP.

I hope it's ok to ask w/o "hijacking", but what type of spatulas should we be using? SS, wooden, hard "plastic" (not sure what it's called)? My good plastic type ones (like OXO) melt to easily, even though they shouldn't.

[DebbieJ]

I prefer Bamboo (doesn't absorb liquids like wood) or silicone (heat safe up to 600 degrees plus).

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[redhookmom]

I also find that if you don't try to toss the food right away it is less likely to stick. You want to sear the outside of let's the onions first.

[Dee150]

Thanks to the PP for the tip on diffusers. I heat milk to boiling for making yogurt, and unless I stay at the stove stirring, I end up with a bad smell to the milk and the black spots on the pan.

I stopped using Teflon pans over a year back. I thought it would be difficult, but its working very well. I have some Farberware, and a lot of cast iron pans, skillets and a flat pancake griddle. The pre-seasoned cast iron works really well- very easy clean-up (though DH does most of the dishwashing). Most of my pots and pans are heavy-bottomed SS (some with aluminium bottoms clad in SS)- these and my spatulas and large spoons are from India. The spatulas and ladles etc. work a lot better for me- easy clean up in the dishwasher, and no worries on the wood-soaking-up-liquids or plastic burning issue. Didn't know about bamboo- thanks to the PP -will definitely try that. Williams-Sonoma and Ikea have a good range of SS ladles/spatulas.

For most stuck on stuff (other than the difficult Bon Ami/BarKs Friend types) a good soaking in water and then the dishwasher works really well. Using Cascade Complete in the d/w also helps.

[marchmommy]

First of all, you ladies are amazing! You all have such great advice and I can't wait to try it out! Now about adding the oil right before you toss in the food--will the oil be hot enough this way? I'm thinking I've been doing the exact opposite: I put the oil in, then heat the pan on high, then scale it down to medium once it gets hot. If I now heat the pan up first, can I still put it up to high heat or is this not necessary--can I just go to low or medium heat, then put in the oil then the food????

Now will Barkeeper's friend or Bon Ami get out those black stains ??

[KrisM]

Thanks for asking. I have a bunch of new SS pans waiting for me to have time to unpack them to use them. It's good to get the tips!

A question on Olive Oil vs. Pam. What about using olive oil in a Misto spray thing. That's what I use now. Will this work well enough on SS?

[ethansmom]

do not heat the pan on high unless you are boiling water. I don't go above medium, and often scale back.

Sorry, I don't know if BKF will get out the black stains, but it's worth a shot.

[ethansmom]

Having not tried it, I don't know for sure, but I think it would be fine. At the minimum, it won't hurt the pan like Pam. FWIW, I add olive oil and then tilt the pan to coat it all over and up the sides.

[kristine_elen]

What kind are they? We have a Calphalon set and you're not supposed to use Pam on those b/c it ruins the metal. Also, not supposed to put them in the dishwasher.

We are also great fans of cast iron, which can't even be washed with soap but that cook very well. (You can use Pam on those, but we generally use olive oil.)

[kellyotn]

PAM on Calphalon doesn't really *permanently* ruin the metal. It DOES create a sticky, clean-resistant mess. :) My DH insists on using PAM and he then has to clean it with Comet and fine steel wool, but it comes out good as new. Regular soaking won't touch the stick, and I assume it would build up very quickly if not clean up. We've had Calphalon for nearly 8 years and while I ask him not to use it, he likes it for some things and its not a huge problem.

The only problem we have is we warped the bottoms by soaking them in water before they were cool. They have a lifetime warranty, so I need to return them for replacement.

[kristine_elen]

We had a problem with our pans after using Pam and called Calphalon and they ordered us to stop using Pam immediately. If you're not supposed to put them in the dishwasher, I can't imagine Comet is recommended -- but who knows?

[kellyotn]

Their site says Ajax, Comet, or Soft Scrub with bleach are all good for hard-anodized. I think way back when we got them they mentioned Comet in their brochures, which is why I used it. It works great and hasn't hurt or discolored the finish at all. :) They also say cooking sprays have water in them which quickly evaporates, leaving the gummy residue. I prefer that DH wouldn't use it, but I choose my battles since it does clean up. (Hey, if he's gonna cook, I'm not gonna stop him!)

They say the dishwashers for hard-anodized are a no-no because of the caustic nature of dishwasher detergent which will discolor the pans.



Cleaning Your Calphalon Cookware

How do I clean my hard-anodized cookware?

After each use, wash hard-anodized surfaces in hot, sudsy water using a nylon scouring pad - we recommend Scotch-Briteâ„¢ dark green scour pads. If you still see hazy or dark areas after it dries, scrub the dry pan (don't wet it) with a dry Scotch-Briteâ„¢ pad and rinse thoroughly. That often works best.

If the pan was used for frying or has baked-on grease or food, wet the pan, sprinkle Ajax®, Comet®, or Soft Scrub® with bleach on the surface, scrub it thoroughly with a Scotch-Brite™ pad and rise thoroughly.

Calphalon also makes a cleaner called Dormondâ„¢, which can clean and restore the warm luster of the hard-anodized finish.

[kristine_elen]

Interesting. Thanks.

[Dee150]

I use a sprayer I got at Target-works fine on stainless steel-of course depends on what you are cooking!

[tarabenet]

As others have said, ditch the PAM and go for oil. But actually, olive oil may not be so great for cooking -- it breaks down at lower temperatures than some other oils. Watch it for smoking, just like you would butter, and if you have a problem with that happening, switch to a higher-temp oil. If you stay in the medium-temp range, it might not be an issue. A Greek friend who owns a restaurant gets very flustered when people buy his expensive oil to cook with, and tells them "No! no! No cook, no fry. Salad only! For cooking oil, go to grocery store!"

Also, Barkeeper's Friend is great on the inside and bottom of pans, but will scratch a mirror-finished stainless steel. Try soaking the pan overnight, submerged in hot water with a dryer sheet thrown in. Obviously you'll want to wash off the dryer sheet residue with fressh hot soapy water in the morning. This is also great for baked on casseroles.

[m448]

see I don't fry with olive oil - I fry with Canola (for the deep fryer or any shallow frying). However, by doing the cool oil in a deep pan you can actually get away with circumventing the low burning point of olive oil. I just use it all the time because the bottle is right next to my cooking area plus I love the flavor.

My pans are the Wolfgang Puck SS which are great after owning the very picky-maintenance Calphalon professional series. Just as good as all clad but not the high price (I did test drive one all clad piece).